Here's Where I End And Begin
by munchkineater
Summary: Leaving your home, it's hard to do. All those friends, family, memories, hopes and dreams and scars, gone in one decision. But the one thing harder than leaving the place you love is coming back to it.
1. You're Stronger Than You Think

**First story! Whew, definitely a bit stressful :P I don't really know where I'm going with this (I just, you know, wrote what I was thinking), so bear with me as this story continues :)**

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Heidi raced through the dark forest, tail streaming behind her. The wind stung her eyes, but she dared not slow down for fear of the animal chasing her. She could feel it's breath hot on her heels as she pulled forwards, urging her screaming muscles to move faster, faster, run harder, stronger.

She could feel her feet burning with the heat of a thousand suns as she scraped them against the hard forest ground. _One more, step, just a few more steps_, she thought, willing herself to run away from the beast. _They will save you, they saved you before..._

Heidi let out a strangled yelp as her foot caught on something, sending her falling head over heels onto the pine needles covering the earth. She fought to get to her feet, twisting and turning to get her foot out of the root it had tripped on. Panic caused her movements to seem slow, too slow, and far too clumsy.

She unceremoniously rose, looking frantically around the forest for an easy escape. Seeing no way out, she turned and stood in a battle stance facing the animal that was going to come crashing through the undergrowth in mere heartbeats.

Her breathing slowed, and time did as well. A new calm settled over the forest, an eerie silence that made her neck fur rise in unease. The birds ceased their music as a dark, wide muzzle nosed its way into the clearing in which she stood. Its lips were drawn back in a sharp-toothed snarl.

Saliva glistened on its black lips, and its yellow teeth shone. Short, black and brown fur covered the animal's burly, muscular form. A deep growl rumbled from deep inside the beast.

Heidi arched her back, hissing at the animal. "Go away!" she barked, pulling on the trick she had learned from her friend. The creature momentarily paused its advance, tilting its head and looking curiously at Heidi. "You heard what I said. Leave!" Heidi ordered.

An emotion like confusion crossed the dog's gaze, replaced quickly once again with lust for murder. Heidi felt panic fluttering in her chest as the trick didn't work once more. She advanced one step, improvising as she went along.

"Go on!" she spat, taking one more step towards the beast. She tried to look as sure as possible, taking one sure step after another, pushing down the fright that threatened to break her in two.

The animal hesitated once more. Heidi steeled herself, and took a third step towards the creature. There was only a tail-length between the two now. The two stood like that for what seemed like a lifetime. Finally, the black thing broke the bypass and took a step back.

An ugly cry filled the forest, prompting the animal to turn and flee. Heidi stood for a moment, then collapsed on the ground, passing out from sheer exhaustion.

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**So, how was this? It's my awkward attempt at a story, what did y'all think? Review, by all means! Criticize me! **

**Keep your pens at the ready, fellow authors!**

**~Munchie**


	2. A Cold Winter Night

**Well, here I am with chappie number 2! Had some extra time today and figured, you know, might as well :P So, here it is! Enjoy :)**

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Graysky exhaled heavily, his breath turning white in the frigid night air. The cold, wintry sky held no mercy for his aching heart, as he waited for what seemed to be the most full and at the same time most empty moment of his life.

Silverpelt shone coldly above him. _I wonder if she's up there right now_, he mused. The cries that had seemed so frequent earlier on in the evening had ceased to near silence. Graysky wasn't sure which he preferred.

The cries had held a sign of hope, that she was still alive, and would live to see the dawn, though every shriek was a stab in Graysky's heart because she was in pain. The stillness, though, made Graysky uneasy and worried for what may have happened to her, who may have taken her away from him.

Noise meant life; silence meant... something else. Something less desirable.

Graysky looked behind him at the hole in the rock wall behind him, hoping for the best, aware of the worst. He turned back around, trying not to think of what may have gone so wrong as to quiet her.

"Graysky." A warm voice shattered the tense silence, evaporating all the doubt and pain with four words. "Come meet your kits," the cat purred. Graysky sighed in relief, pushing past the golden tabby into the rock cave.

When his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he saw a lithe, white shape huddled in the corner of the den, head resting on her paws. She flicked her eyes up when she saw Graysky, and began purring. Three small forms huddled at her stomach, mewling pitifully, one white, one blue-gray, and the third a brown tabby.

"Oh... Kestrelwing, they're beautiful!" Graysky mewed, licking Kestrelwing's ear. She nuzzled his neck lovingly. "Do you want to name them?"

Kestrelwing shook her head slowly. "No. I want to see their eyes first. Eyes are what make a cat. We have the morning." Graysky nodded, settling down beside her.

"Well, I think I'll stay here for the night. I want to get to know our family."

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**So there you go! Sorry it was a bit short, but I couldn't really stretch it further than this... You're not supposed to know the characters, by the way :P It's the way I'm writing the story. It'll all make sense in a couple of chapters! Review, review, have some fun :)**

**Keep your pens at the ready!**

**~Munchie**


	3. Rude Awakening

**Third chappie up already! Gosh I need to chill out with the chapter thingy :P Thanks Willowsmoke of ShadowClan and Lights darkness (guest) for reviewing :) Enjoy!**

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"Hello?" a sharp voice pierced through Heidi's conscious. She groaned in pain, becoming aware of a dull throbbing in her paws. "Hello-oo?" the voice called once more. Heidi fought against the pressure on her eyes, opening them to a blur of dull colors.

Slowly, the blur became replaced with the face of a tortoiseshell feline. Her bright green eyes stared into Heidi's own. "Oh! _Finally_, you're awake!" the cat crowed. "Everybody is _so_ excited to meet you! Especially Nettlefang. She saw what you did, back in the forest."

"Wha-" Heidi started, only to be interrupted by the tortoiseshell.

"You were quite banged up after facing that dog," she commented. "Your paws were bleeding, and you'd lost quite a lot of blood through that cut." Heidi turned her head, glancing at the gash that ran from her shoulder down to the base of her tail. It was covered in some leaf paste and cobwebs.

"Oh, that was from a fight with my... friend," Heidi explained softly. She licked one gray-blue paw self-consciously.

"Doesn't really sound like a friend to me," the cat mused.

Heidi nodded distantly. "Not a very good friend," she agreed. The two sat in silence for a while.

Heidi looked around her at where she lay. It seemed to be some form of rock cave, enclosed and dark. An opening yawned at one side of the den, with bramble tendrils hanging in front of it.

A rustling from behind her interrupted Heidi's inspection, just as a dull-colored tom pushed his way out from a crack in the wall of the den. He wandered around the den aimlessly for a few moments before realizing Heidi had come to.

He gazed at her with dull amber eyes, an unreadable expression in them. "So you're awake," he finally said in a raspy voice.

Heidi nodded shyly. In the short time since the tom had entered the den, the tortoiseshell had moved away from her.

The tom limped over to where she lay, as if his back leg was crippled. She glanced curiously at it, but the tom glared at her with enough ferocity to silence any questions.

"That's Stonegaze, my mentor," the tortoiseshell energetically commented, seemingly not affected by the inclement atmosphere in the den. "Oh! I'm Turtlepaw, by the way." Heidi nodded tensely, still not breaking eye contact with Stonegaze. Something about the tom unnerved her.

"Turtlepaw," the tom growled. Turtlepaw snapped to attention. "Go tell Eaglestar that she's awake." Turtlepaw hesitated, taking a slow step towards the bramble-covered opening, presumably the entrance. Stonegaze stopped glaring at Heidi for a heartbeat, whipping around to face his apprentice. "Well? Are you waiting for the grass to grow?"

Turtlepaw scuffed the ground, finally managing to say, "I was wondering if she has a name..." The tortoiseshell kept her eyes averted to the ground, allowing herself a quick glance up at Heidi.

"I'm-" Heidi began.

"Just tell him she's come to," Stonegaze interrupted. Turtlepaw ran off at his words. Stonegaze returned his eyes to Heidi's.

"Why don't you want her to know my name?" Heidi asked suspiciously, after Turtlepaw left.

"What do you plan on telling the Clan? About your... history with ThunderClan?" Stonegaze countered Heidi, following a long moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Heidi asked slowly. _How could this tom know who I am... I've never seen him before in my life._

"I mean what made you think you could come back to ThunderClan as a completely different cat and not be recognized as who you _really_ are? The _kittypet_ who abandoned her clan in leaf-bare because of some helpless rogue begging for mercy. You don't _honestly_ think they'll accept you back as the warrior you were when you left, do you?" Stonegaze fumed, dull eyes suddenly blazing with cold amber fire. Heidi flinched, her own dark amber eyes glazing over with hurt.

"I'm not a _kittypet_," she hissed, hurt clear in her voice. "And Harvey was _the one_ for me. But cats are _mortal_." The fire in Stonegaze's eyes remained as cold as ice. A tone of confusion entered Heidi's voice. "How do you even _know_ that?"

The fur on Stonegaze's shoulders relaxed ever the slightest. "I have my ways. But don't expect the Clan to just _take you in_ because you _used_ to be one of us. You're one of _them_ now. So I'd watch what you tell my _family_."

"They're my family too, Stonegaze," Heidi countered. "I loved this place when I first saw it, and I didn't stop loving it when I left. But I wasn't about to tell Turtlepaw my real name. I'm leaving the old ThunderClan warrior behind and returning as a rogue who isn't staying here."

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**So there you go! POV is back to Heidi again :P Not the best thing I've ever written, but hey, c'est la vie XD Anyways, a comment or some concrit is appreciated :)**

**Keep your pens at the ready, fellow FanFictioners!**

**~Munchie**


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